The Morehouse School of Medicine's MBRS program has the overall objective of enhancing the research opportunity and productivity of the faculty, thereby providing the foundation and primary building blocks needed to establish and sustain a research program that merits funding from mainstream sources. This basic support translates into an environment where potential minority scientists may be trained to become future scientific leaders. The need for minority research scientists is not exaggerated when one looks at the extent of morbidity and mortality data on diseases and adverse conditions that affect the nations's minority population. This renewal application includes nineteen diverse biomedical research projects designed to strengthen the institution's research capabilities and provide for faculty and students the support needed to address some of these ails. The specific aims are to: 1) enhance research in basic and clinical biomedical science at MSM, particularly research on diseases that disproportionately affect minority populations; 2) assist MSM faculty in the development of their research capability in order to increase their competitiveness for federal and non-federal support; 3) to expose minority undergraduate and attract minority graduate students to basic and clinical biomedical research; 4) encourage minority students accepted to medical school to pursue careers in biomedical research and academic medicine. This application assembles a body of superb investigators who will fulfill the objectives of this program, thereby enhancing the overall research capabilities of the institution.